The First Meeting

Doris stood up from her desk slowly, smoothing down her skirt almost immediately. She adjusted her shirt, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, then checked herself quickly on the blank screen of her phone.

“Okay… no mistake,” she muttered under her breath.

She had not met the CEO yet, and she already knew one thing: first impressions mattered. Not in any strange way, but enough for him to at least see her as competent, someone he could tolerate.

Because if he did not like her even a little, she knew the truth.

She would not last.

And she could not afford that.

Her savings were already running low, and this job was not something she could lose carelessly.

She took a small breath and walked out of her office.

The hallway was quiet again, almost too quiet, and she followed the directions she had been given earlier. When she finally stood in front of the door, she paused for a second.

Then she knocked.

“Come in.”

The voice was calm.

She pushed the door open and stepped inside.

At first, she did not speak, her eyes landed on him immediately.

He was seated behind the desk, slightly leaned back, a book resting in his hand. A pair of glasses sat neatly on his face, and his attention seemed completely fixed on what he was reading.

His hair was longer than she expected, not too long, but enough to reach close to his shoulders, tied neatly back. Everything about him looked… definitely not ordinary.

Even the silence around him felt different for a brief second, Doris just stood there.

Staring 

Not in a disrespectful way, but she could not deny that he looked good. There was something about his presence that made it hard to look away, even when she knew she should.

Then he looked up.

And the moment their eyes met, something clicked in her head.

Her expression changed instantly.

Oh my God… It was him.

The man from the other night.

The one in the car.

Her heart skipped slightly, but she quickly straightened, trying to hold herself together.

He studied her for a second, then a faint, knowing look appeared on his face.

“Well,” he said calmly, closing the book halfway. “We will meet again.”

That voice.

There was no doubt, Doris swallowed lightly. This was bad no… this was very bad.

Everything she had planned in her head about staying composed and professional suddenly scattered.

For a moment, she tried to hold on to it, to act like everything was normal, but reality settled quickly.

This was the same man whose car she had damaged.

The same man she had argued with.

And now… He was her boss.

She let out a small breath and dropped whatever pride she had left.

“Sir… I.. I’m really sorry about that night,” she said quickly. “About your car. I didn’t mean to…”

She stopped herself, then continued, her voice a little more urgent.

“You can deduct it from my salary. Every month, little by little. I’ll pay for it, I promise. I just… I really need this job.”

Her fingers tightened slightly by her side.

“I’ll work well. I won’t cause any problems. I just need the chance to stay.”

The words came out faster than she expected, but she did not take them back.

She meant every one of them, for a moment, he did not respond.

He simply watched her.

Then he leaned back slightly in his chair, his expression unreadable.

“That’s if you even last a month,” he said casually.

The words were not loud, but they landed clearly.

Doris paused for half a second then she chose to ignore it.

She straightened again as if she had not heard anything.

“Yes, sir,” she said quietly.

He looked at her for a moment longer, then said nothing more about it. Instead, he lowered his gaze back to the book in his hand like the conversation had already ended.

Doris stood there, unsure if she was supposed to leave or wait.

Seconds passed.

Then he reached for a paper on his desk without looking up and held it out toward her.

“Take this,” he said.

She stepped forward quickly and collected it.

“There’s a number on it. Call it,” he added. “Tell them I’m in the office.”

Doris nodded immediately. “Okay, sir.”

That was it.

She turned carefully and walked out of the office, closing the door gently behind her.

The moment she stepped back into her own space, she let out a breath.

“Hmm… Doris,” she whispered to herself, shaking her head slightly. “What kind of place have you entered?”

She looked down at the paper in her hand then at the phone on her desk.

Whatever this job was… It had already started.

And it did not look like it was going to be easy.

Doris sat down slowly, still holding the paper in her hand as if it might suddenly explain itself. She glanced once toward the door she had just come through, then back at the number written neatly on the sheet.

“Alright… let’s see,” she murmured.

She picked up the phone and dialed carefully, making sure she did not miss any digit. As it rang, she found herself sitting a little straighter without realizing it.

The call connected to the third ring.

“Hello?”

The voice that came through was male, calm, and unexpectedly warm. It caught her off guard for a second because it sounded nothing like the man she had just left behind.

“Oh… good morning,” Doris said quickly, adjusting her tone. “I was asked to call this number. The CEO said I should inform you that he’s in the office.”

There was a brief pause, then a soft chuckle.

“Ah, so you must be the new assistant.”

Doris blinked slightly. “Yes… I am.”

“Alright,” the man replied, his voice still easy and friendly. “Thank you for calling. I’ll be there shortly.”

The line ended gently.

Doris lowered the phone slowly, her brows pulling together just a little.

“Hmm,” she whispered.

That voice had been so calm, so normal, that it almost felt strange after standing in front of someone who barely spoke more than necessary.

She leaned back slightly in her chair, tapping the paper lightly against the desk.

“This office…” she muttered quietly. “It’s already confusing me.”

Still, she straightened again after a moment.

Whatever it was, she would figure it out.